Pontiac Vibe GT Wheel and Tire Upgrade! Sparkly "new" shoes for the ride!
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Out with the old, in with the new... well newish, today we're getting rid of these old crusty corroded stock Pontiac Vibe GT wheels and replace them with a spare set of wheels we had just sitting around the shop. Well not exactly sitting around, but resting under a semi abandoned project on the back lot. Let's give them a new life!
The factory Pontiac wheels we bought the car on are wearing 205/55/16 Kelly Edge tires, certainly not the greatest but more than capable of handling daily driver duties. However with a potential extended road trip in the very near future AND likely fun "spirited" driving come spring/summer time this little 2ZZ-GE powered Pontiac Vibe GT is in need of a bit better tire! So we jumped online and ordered up a new set of Riken Raptors for it, the same tire we had recently put on the front of our green Ford Capri.
Giving old parts a new lease on life, and making an old ride look better than she ever has before. Going to be a fun fun 2023 for this little Toyota powered Poncho!
So, what do you think of the new look? And what would you do for the stance?
What happened to the young guy who was fixing up a subaru ?
@@Oh-Jay52 he has moved on to another work opportunity, which has temporarily derailed the project timeline. BUT it should still be happening!
Definitely needs spacers! As for the ride, Eibachs with KYBs will give you a great balance of handling and road tripability. I've done around 50k on mine and they're juuuuuust right.
Leave the stance stock. Do not lower or slam it. Lowering looks bad and also makes the ride quality trash no matter what you use.
Lowering springs will def change the look and is a low buck way.
Hey Austin, nice to see Jim in this video, he wasawesomeonlast years Tour, thumbs up to the Vibe Crew!😉
He's working hard on getting HIS Vibe ready for the road trip as well, certainly not the last you'll see of Jimmy!
Thank You Charles! I’m working on some content. We’ve also got big plans for 2023. If I can get things rolling my channel might even get some updates! -Jim
@@nosleevesgarage5097 chop chop Jimmy! 😉
Upgrading to hailing!! LOL Ya gotta make sure your nuts are correct!! Those rims and tires make it look much better, great call Austin!!
Sooooo much better! Funny enough I didn't even think about these, Jim mentioned them offhandedly a few days before ... I agreed and immediately ordered tires 😉
This Ohio weather is super fun! 60, then hailing, then thunderstorms, then snow. Next week who knows!
Wheel spacers fer sure!
I did not know squat about these cars before your series so after seeing them I did a search on FB Marketplace here in east Texas. In this area alone I believe that there is at least a Dozen in the Shreveport area and in the extended area there appears to be 3 or 4 Dozen of these cars ranging in price just below $2,000 all the way up toward $9,000 They are all the GT series. Go Figure...
Thanks Austin for sharing your tire switch. Hope it works out! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching Terry, always appreciate you. Big big change in looks and grip for sure!
New shoes! Yessss!
"Easiest" upgrade to get some quality results is a new set of shoes. Let us know about what you think on the end results!
Austin, a cordless impact would do wonders in that situation.😉
you look like someone from a video game lol love your vibe man
As an avid video gamer myself, I'll take that as a compliment! :) Thanks!
@@LucoreAuto How's ironforge? For the alliance!
@@ogdumplings8196 Lol ohhhh my WoW days are far behind me but I many many MANY days of my life spent battling the Horde!
225/45r17 is perfect for the vibe/matrix it’s an exact match overall diameter to the stock 16” wheel and tire
I never tested before this versus a GPS but with the new wheel and tire setup I'm 77 on the GPS and 80 on the dash sooooo.... I'll take it! 👍
I haven't seen a vibe for many years now but this past Saturday I seen a white one with black wheels it wasn't a gt but I thought of you Austin. I would go with a quality coil overs and definitely space the wheels out. The silver and gold looks good. God bless and as always be safe 👍
I don't think I'd spend money on coil overs, you might total the car!. Maybe do factory struts with eibach or imitation eibach springs.. preferably used off of ebay or something. I'd go with drilled and slotted rotors and use the duplicolor kit to paint the calipers red. I'd also go with as much as a 2.5 inch hub centric wheel spacer all around. Don't forget the red rally mudflaps!
And a 100 of them little washer squirter sized nubs on the roof / hatch
You got a cool Vibe man! ✌😎💨
How was your thread engagement? The aluminum wheels on the Toyota / Vibe have recessed holes for those special lugs which gives them the proper amount of thread engagement. When you put on the other rims, they do not have that recess and you are losing thread engagement using standard lug nuts. I put some aluminum Subaru wheels on my Vibe and only had 8 turns of engagement. After some investigation 8 turns is just at the minimum engagement for at lug bolt of that diameter. The factory thread engagement on the lug you removed from your corroded wheel is about 11 1/4 turns. Also Subaru uses a larger hub diameter for the wheel than Toyota. Some will say you need a concentric hub adapter to make sure the wheels are centered. I didn't use them on mine and just used the chamfer on the lugs to center the wheel. The advantage of the larger hub size is the wheels don't rust on to the hub for us Midwest Rustbelt drivers. As to the wheel spacers, some will say it puts additional load on the wheel bearings and on a Vibe, they are a b*tch to change in the front. Wow, three Vibes in the shop at once. Sounds like my garage with a 2003 Base, 2004 GT and 2005 Base Vibes. Looking forward to more Vibe content!
Austin love those wheels man they set that car off. My only question is why did you not use the tow truck to help take the wheels off? Any way I really enjoyed the video
There are a couple answers for that question, the biggest one being typically when you see ME working it's after hours or on the weekend. I'm not tow truck certified 😉 so I don't get to play with the big toys
Cut a coil out of the springs and put them back in with the existing struts. It's gonna be horrible to drive, but not as horrible as it would be with cheap coilovers, or track spec coilovers. To get any real performance upgrades on the suspension, you'll need to pull all the old control arms and body mounts and pushings out, and replace them with new stuff. So, shortening the factory spring with spacers and a wheel allignment would work juust fine.
HOWdy LUCORE, ...
AUSTIN continues to TINKER on the PONTIAC ...
pontiac - Pontiac - WISH I had my RAMBLER Back ! 🙂 LOL ...
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
...fun stuff !...
I think it looks much better.
Spacers, stance, brake upgrade..🤔🤔 yes, yes & yes. You’ll thank yourself later. 👍
How far out would you go? How far DOWN would you go?
Get the tires moved out first at least even with the fender. Not sure what needs to be done to lower but to just get an idea of what it will look like, just add some weight all the way around. You’ll know when you get the right look. How about a blacked out hood scoop? Blacked out lower body molding, or gold to match wheels? Might be too much. Sorry, I got carried away🤪
Hey guys I always have been and will continue to be a big supporter I requested see more quality not just quantity
So much awesomeness!!!
Nothing like trying to position a floor jack in gravel on a cold day. I don't do that anymore, I'm old and tired ya know....
On a serious note: I’d consider a new set of headlights, it will make the car look 10 years younger and your lights will be much brighter. I’m not a fan of polishing them because it doesn’t seem to last IMO
That IS certainly something I've considered and agree with you on the polishing thing, they look great for a bit but it never seems to last. Especially a vehicle that sees a lot of driving and outdoor life. I DO need a passenger side fog light as well so... maybe ALL the lights go new soon? Gotta see who makes a good product at a decent price and availability
I was shopping for a new car$$$. I couldn't give up on my beloved '09 white Vibe. Thanks for the encouragement. I'll be pimping it. I always knew it was a "chick Magnet". My Vibe has taken me all around North America. Where is your shop? George
I would put the vibe in the Bin and do something with that Subaru. 🤔 I wonder if anyone has done a Cummins swap Forester?
That’s punishable by death in Vermont and New Hampshire !
Those old tires look like they might have a flat spot in them 🤷♂️
Slightly squared for sure. Old crappy tires, flat for 4 years will do that. And they did NOT want to come off!
Austin, are you still monitoring this vid ? I happen to have some parts which might fit the vibe gt's. 1 each of Moog LK071 and LK072, new in box and inner tie rods (without bendy locking washer). Bought by mistake for my 04 matrix AWD. If you or friends want them, you can have them, just pay shipping. Please reply here, and I'll contact you.
I am curious on what you will find for brakes because I've looked all over for a big brake upgrade and there is absolutely nothing might have to custom make one also I have lots of experience with the vibe gt I have an 03 myself
If you have any questions I would love to help you on your journey
Also, Jim, Buddy...please tell me you did not buy a boss audio head unit for your Vibe? Boss is one of the worst audio makers out there. Them and Dual are absolutely awful. And also, I'm insanely disappointed with how best buy is doing their stores. They look so bad inside and I hate having to ask everyone for something. I miss when best buy was a big store filled with so much cool stuff and I miss the huge CD sections. I still buy and collect CDs. Barnes and noble is about the only store left that has a decent new CD section. Marketplace is your friend when it comes to audio. I picked up my double din Kenwood cd DVD android auto unit used for like 120$
What kind of car did you get the gold rims off of again? Looks like a Subaru wagon
Yessir they were on a Forester XT, originally I think we got them of a WRXA
@@LucoreAuto thank you very much. I remember when this video first come out 😂😂. I've got a 05 vibe base with an automatic. 285*** on the clock. Only had it just over 2 years and man she runs good. Only had to do services and an alternator other than that it's a nice car
I got a Pontiac Vibe 2006. I wonder if you can answer a question for me. When I turn on the heater on the car. By the way, I live in North Dakota. The engine Fan Kix on I don't think that's right what do you think
What car did you get the OZ's off of?
A Subaru Forester XS we have as kind of a "stranded" project.
Having the wrong nuts is the WORST!
hmmmnnnn...sorry....sumphin about the gold rims err ,,kinda.. not right ...in my opinion...i would,ve gone with a gunmetal,,semi gloss black or pearl white......with spacers ....for sure..and maybe some colored lug nuts.
What car did you swap the wheels
The gold wheels came off a 2003 Subaru Forester
What’s the stock offset on these wheels ?
cheap coilovers they r as good as expensive ones for the first 3 or 4 weeks of their lives
Hey i own vibe now... Can you help me lower the car
Do the words silk purse and pig’s ear mean anything to you?😅
You guys rock. But you should cut out all the talking. Way too much.
You have a shop, but yet you're using a ratchet to take wheels off? At least use a breaker bar and NOT a ratchet...but c'mon man where are the power tools? I don't have a shop but I do have power tools because my body couldn't handle hand tools in situations like that. Hell I picked up my 1200ft lb Ryobi One Plus HP impact with battery and charger for 150$ before Christmas. The impact alone is 220$. Made in same factory as milwaukee.
I was thinking the same thing! I have a Kobalt XTR big impact. Heck I’d even run 300’ of extension cord with my trust $65 Bauer corded impact before I struggle, especially in the cold. 🥶
do something with that cutlass.this car is boring.
You know what, now that you mention it, we should totally just do that. Thanks for setting us straight! 👍